Paris: Macarons

The queen of French of desserts. The more, the sweeter. Not necessarily in that order. 

So French macarons. It’s hard to say which is the best, because they are all different in tastes, sizes and atmosphere and then there’s always the catch of preference. G and I disagreed on some tastes and so it all comes down to trying the most you can and deciding for yourself. Macarons have become a favorite pastry of almost everyone within the social media world, but I have to say, I’m mostly done with my cravings after one. Or two.

Ladurée may be the most popular, considering the line you have to wait in order to purchase a single macaron. It’s every little girl’s (or boy’s) dream: pink, white, beige, ribbons, bows, chandeliers, pastels and pretty boxes. The macarons are, obviously, very popular and are quite good, but I think the overall Ladurée experience is what makes it so special.

1-2년전부터 유행하던 마카롱. 개인적으로 너무 달아서 많이 좋아하진 않지만 파리에 간 이상 필수 코스. 다양한 여행 관련 업체들에서 마카롱 투어, 디저트 투어 등을 운영하고 있지만 그냥 개인적으로 방문해서 먹고 싶은 마카롱을 먹어도 무방. 만들기도 사실 굉장히 쉽다는 사실!

가장 유명한 마카롱 가게 중 하나는 라듀레. 마카롱, 인테리어, 포장지, 리본까지 너무 달콤해서 눈과 코, 귀가 다 달콤해질 지경. 예쁘기로 치자면 1등이다. 다른 마카롱 가게들보다 아시아인들이 특히나 많고 기다려야하는 시간도 조금 더 긴 느낌. 마카롱보다도 전반적인 분위기에 취하는 것이 목표라면 라듀레.

Interestingly though, the founder Louis-Ernest Ladurée was not only a miller, but he was also a very successful and prolific writer who worked on plays, poetry, novels and essays. The brand is now everywhere, including Dublin, Rome, Dubai, Osaka, New York and Seoul. And they even started to release makeup, house goods and jewelry. I would personally go for the candles. It’s also one of the most featured macaron brand on instagram. According to my feed, anyway.

알고보니 마카롱은 물론 화장품, 향수, 양초 그리고 쥬얼리까지 만들기 시작했다고. 개인적으로 인스트라그램에서 가장 많이 보이는 가게가 라듀레일만큼 예쁘기로 치면 1등.

Rose and salted caramel are my two favs. G’s favorites are pistachio and liquorice. The latter I do not approve.

장미맛과 카라멜맛을 주로 선택하는 나와 피스타치오와 리코리스맛을 선호하는 G.

Pierre Hermé is known to be the “Picasso of pastry” (Vogue, France) and his very unusual macaron creations prove that. Like the ketchup one. Regardless of the tastes, I have to say his creations are quite interesting and impressive. Whether it works for me or not is a different matter though.

Like the foie gras one, which was the one I tried (but was not thrilled about. Somebody really pushed me to get that one). I wasn’t the only one. Some of them also have a slight sheen, which makes the experience that much special. (I don’t think the sheen makes a difference in the taste though.)

피에르 에르메는 파리의 유명한 패스츄리 셰프. 마카롱도 마카롱이지만 특별하고 특이한 맛을 내는 것으로 유명하다. 예를 들면 케찹맛, 푸아그라 맛 등. 패스츄리계의 피카소로 불리는 만큼 맛도 다양하다. 약간의 걱정이 앞섰지만 푸아그라 맛에 도전해봤는데 아무리 생각해도 추천은 못하겠는 맛. 하지만 정말 특이하고 색다른 맛을 원한다면 피에르 에르메로 고고.

It looks like cream or vanilla, even coconut, but no. It was foie gras. And it was not my favorite dessert in the world. Thanks, but no thanks, Mr. Hermé.

Angelina is like the more sophisticated, less sweet,, more chic and modern version of Ladurée. Less pink, more gold. Angelina is in fact not famous for its macarons, but for their Mont Blancs. We were on our way for an interview so didn’t have the time to wait 40 minutes for a seat, so had to leave, but the Mont Blancs were selling out very quickly.

안젤리나는 라듀레의 성숙한 버전이랄까. 달콤하고 예쁜데 조금 더 고급스러운 느낌. 핑크색 대신 금색, 인형 대신 찻잔. 몽블랑이라는 초코렛 디저트로 특히나 유명한데 카페에 들어가서 차 한잔 할려면 적어도 30-40분은 기다려야한다.

Mont Blancs coming and coming and coming and coming…

얌전히 기다리고 있는 몽블랑들.

There are so many pastry or macaron shops in Paris, which makes it very difficult to choose a personal favorite or even try more than three because then you feel a bit squirmy from all the sugar. But like everyone else, I would recommend to try as much as you can.

분위기도 맛도 다 다른 곳들이기에 적어도 파리에 온 이상 모든 시간, 정성 그리고 노력을 할애해보길 추천.

• Ladurée
• Pierre Hermé
• Angelina

All photos by rachelsanghee. December, 2014.